High-speed bearing



Aug. 24, 194s.A R, w, SCHUCK 2,447,671

` HIGH-SPEED BEARING Filed Nov. 15, 1945 Z9 'd' /5 30 )u ,-2 25 .3

2o 3f- H6 14 1 l aL-:fL- I'k ;Y *j 7 l wlTNE'ssEs; v INVENToR 4 l I EGy/ZYOnOMfC/uc/C vATTORNEYr Patented Aug. 24, 1948 mon-SPEED BEARING Raymond W. Schuck. Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pitts- Burgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania ApplicationNovember 13, 1945, Serial No. 628,290

The present invention relates to high-speed bearings and, more particularly, to the lubrication of high-speed anti-friction bearings.

Ball or roller bearings which operate at high speeds, such as 10.000 R. P. M. or higher. are best lubricated by means of oil. At these high speeds, it is important for the oil to be used in the most effective manner, to provide proper lubrication, and it is necessary to avoid any substantial excess of oil over. that actually needed. At high speeds, churning and splashing of excess oil in the' bear-V ing generates considerable heat and .may cause overheating of the bearing, and the impact of the excess oil against the bearing retainer may be great enough to damage the retainer and thus cause failure of the bearing. For these reasons, it is desirable'to utilize oil mist lubrication for high-speed anti-friction bearings, the oil being supplied to the bearing in the form of a mist or spray. This may be done by means of an oil ring on the shaft adjacent the bearing, but the use of an oil ring has the disadvantage of requiring a relatively large housing in order to accommodate a ring of the necessary diameter.

The principal objectof the present invention is to provide a high-speed anti-friction bearing construction in which the bearing is effectivelylubricated by means of an oil mist or spray, and in which no substantial excess of oil over that actually needed is supplied to the bearing.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a, simple and reliable construction for high-speed anti-friction bearings in which the bearing is lubricated by means of an oil mist or spray provided by an oil thrower on the shaft. so as to permit the use of a smaller housing than would be possible if an oil ring were used. and in which only enough oil is supplied to the oil thrower-to provide adequate lubrication for the bearing, but without any substantial excess of oil.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description,` taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. the single gure of which is a longitudinal sectional viewof a high-speed antifriction bearing embodying the invention.

4 Claims. (Cl. 308-187) the invention is, equally applicable to rolierbearings. As shown, the bearing has an inner race 1, which is pressed on the shaft I, or otherwise secured to the shaft, and an outer race 8, with a row of balls l between the races 1 and 8, the balls 9 being held in position by a retainer or cage I0 of any usual construction. The bearing 6 also includes a cartridge or adaptor member II in which the outer race 8 is secured. and the lcartridge I I is mounted in the centralopening of the wall portion of the housing 2.

It will be seen that the wall portion 5 of the housing 2 and the bearing 8 divide the interior of the housing transversely into two annular chambers I2 and I3. The lower part of theannular chamber I2 is formed to provide an oil reservoir The invention is illustrated in the drawing embodied in a bearing assembly for supporting a rotatable shaft I. The assembly includes a bearing housing 2 which is secured to a supporting lstructure 3 in any suitable manner, as by screws' 4. The housing 2 is hollow and has an internal annular wall portion 5 with a central opening to receive the bearing. The bearing 6 is shown as a ball bearing, although it will be understood that I4, which is kept lled with oil I5 to a predetermined level in any suitable manner, as by means of an oiler I6. A restricted opening I1 extends through the wall portion 5 of the housing 2 at the .bottom of the housing to permit a limited amount of oil I 5 to flow from the reservoir I4 intothe lower part of the other annularchamber I3. A larger opening I8 extends through the upper part of the wall portion 5 to provide l,communication between the top p'rts of the two chambers I2 and' I3. An oil thrower I9 is mounted on the shaft t in the chamber I3 adjacent the bearing 6. The oil thrower I9 may be of any `suitable type, and is shown as being a disk member of large enough diameter to extend into the oil in the lower part of the chamber I3. f

'I'he outer end of the housing` 2 is closed and has a central inwardly extending portion 20 which surrounds the shaft I with a smallclearance. The shaft I has an oil-throwing shoulder 22 positioned in an annular chamber 2I in the portion 20 of the housing to prevent the escape of oil from the housing, oil caught in thechamber 2I draining tothe reservoir I4 through a passage 23: A felt gasket 24 may be provided at the outer end of the housing 2 to catch 4any oil which may get'` past the chamber 2l. anda passage 3| is provided to permit oil caught by the gasket 24 to drain `into the reservoir. n l

The other end of the bearing housing 2 is closed by an annular cap member 2B, which is interposed between the housing 2 andthe supporting structure 3. The cap member 25 iitsclosely around the shaft I, andthe escape of oil along the shaft is prevented -by sealing means similar to those at the opposite end of the housingincludi'ng an annular chamber 26 surrounding an oil-throwing shoulder 21 on the shaft. and a felt gasket 23, with passages 29 to permit oil caught by the sealwhich come within the Ing means to drain to the bottom of the chamber I3.

When the shaft I is rotating. the oil thrower I9, which rotates with the shaft and dips into the oil in the bottom of the chamber I3, throws the oil on in a spray or mist which fills the chamber y Il. The fan action of the rapidlyrotating oil thrower I9 produces air currents which carry the oil mist through the passage I8 into the chamber I2, so that the action of the oil thrower I9 causes into the bearing drains to the reservoir Il and to the bottom of the chamber I3. This oil is prevented from dripping onto the shaft I by the portion 20 of the housing and by a gutter 30 formed in the cap member 25.

Oil from the reservoir I 4 flows through the restricted opening Il into the bottom of the chamber I3 to provide a continuous supply of oil to the oil thrower I9, The opening I1 is restricted so that only a limited amount of oil is permitted to now into the chamber I3, and thus the oil level in the chamber Il during operation-is controlled so that the oil thrower does not dip too deeply into the oil, and thus does not supply any substantial excess of oil to the bearing 6. When the shaft is' at rest, the oil level in the chamber I3 will, oi' course, be the same as that in the reservoir Il, as shown in the drawing. When the shaft is rotating at high speed. however, the oil thrower I9 will at first withdraw oil from the bottom of the chamber I 3 at a faster rate than oil can flow into it through the restricted passage I'I. so that the oil level will be lowered until an equilibrium is reached between the amount of oil withdrawn by the oil thrower and the amount of oil which enters through the restricted opening I 1. By making the opening I 'I of the proper size, the oil level in the chamber I3 during operation can be quite accurately controlled, and thus -the amount of oil supplied to the bearing lcan be made just enough for adequate lubrication without any substantial excess.

It should now be apparent that a high-speed antifriction bearing construction has been provided in which eil'ective oil mist lubricationl is provided for the bearing without the use of an oil ring, so that a housing-of relatively small diameter can be used, and in which the bearing is effectively lubricated ywithout any substantial excess of oil. A preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, but it is to be understood that various other embodiments and constructions may be used within the scope of the invention, and it is not restricted. therefore.- to the particular details of construction shown, butin its broadest aspects it includes all equivalent modifications and embodiments scope of the -appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a bearing housing, an antifriction bearing in .said housing, a rotatable shaft supported in said bearing. oil-throwing means on van oil reservoir in the the shaft within the housing adjacent one side of the bearing. an oil reservoir in the lower part of the housing at the other side of the bearing. means for supplying a limited amount of oil from said oil reservoir to the lower part of the housing adjacent said oil-throwing means, and means for causing oil thrown on' said oil-throwing means to be carried into the bearing in the form of a mis 2. In combination, a bearing housing, an antifriction bearing in the housing. said bearing dividing the housing transversely into two chambers, -a rotatable shaft tion, said wall portion andbearing dividing thel housing transversely into two chambers, a rotatable shaft supported in the bearing, anoil thrower on the shaft in one of said chambers'adjacent the bearing. the other of said chambers including lower part thereof, means for supplying a limited amount of oil from said oil reservoir to the lower part of the first-mentioned chamber in contact with said oil-thrower, and means for permitting oil thrown off by'the oil-thrower to pass back to the second-mentioned chamber and into the bearing.

4. In combination, a bearing housing, said housing having an internal annular wall portion. an antifriction bearing mounted in said wall portion. said wall portion and bearing dividing the housing transversely into two chambers, a rotatable shaft supported in the bearing, an oil thrower on the shaft in one of said chambers adjacent the bearing. the other of said chambers including an oil reservoir in the lower part thereof, said wall portion having a restricted opening in the lower part thereof to permit a limited amount of oil to flow from said oil reservoir to the lower part of the first-mentioned chamber in contact' with said oil-thrower, and said wall portion also having an opening in the upper part thereof 'to permit oil thrown to the second-mentioned chamber and into the bearing.

. RAYMOND W. SCHUCK.

REFERENCES cITE'nv The followinglreferences are of record' in the supported in the bearing,y an oil thrower on the shaft in one of said chamon' by the oil-thrower to pass back i 

